Imperial Guard Scout Squad
The Scout Squad of the Imperial Guard is similar to their Space Marine counterparts in terms of role. The only difference is that they get shittier equipment and come in more numbers. The primary role of a scout is to lead the way through arduous or hostile terrain and to advise his comrades how best to do so too.
Overview[edit]
Almost every regiment in the Imperial Guard has amongst its ranks men and women blessed with a nigh-preternatural empathy with the environment. Perhaps they were hunters before the regiment was founded and spent much of their lives alone in the wilderness. Perhaps they were rangers, responsible for guarding their master’s lands against intruders. Maybe they were something far darker such as bounty hunters or even slavers, and learned to master the land and its ways to their own fell ends. Blessed as they are with keen eyes and an innate sense for the lie of the land, the scout is capable of finding a path through terrain others may have written off as impenetrable. He/she can direct his/her comrades as to which flora and fauna might be safe to eat and which can be turned into a weapon.
Most importantly, the scout can use all of their skills to detect enemy ambushes, taking his cue from anything from an abnormal silence in the environment to an alien scent carried faintly on the breeze. Accomplished scouts can direct their commanders to counter such tactics, launching a counter-ambush from an entirely unanticipated quarter.
Due to their role, Scouts often prefer the smaller and easier to handle Lascarbine rather than the standard-issue flashlight. They may wear cameleoline to better hide themselves against enemy scouts, and are armed with combat knives for a silent kill. Some more primitive regiments like the Kanak Skull Takers may opt for more primitive but still equally silent ranged weapons like a Bow, a Handbow, a Crossbow or even a Sling as their weapon of choice. Their low tech level and resource maintenance plus their near-silent nature proves to be handier when behind enemy lines. The most notorious of these Scouts are anyone coming from the Catachan Jungle Fighters thanks to their environment. Instead of the dinky-little knives, these Rambo impersonators log around several flavours of close-combat death, including the blackened but venomous Night Reaper, to the standard-issue Catachan Fang and finally, the "I can't believe it's not a short sword!" Devil's Claw.